This year, the Alzheimer Society of Grey-Bruce is recognizing 30 years of service to our community.
"During those 30 years we have provided support and counselling for thousands of persons with dementia and for their caregivers," said Deborah Barker, Executive Director of the Alzheimer Society of Grey- Bruce.

"We have played, and we continue to play a vital role in the lives of the growing numbers of individuals we support."

Each year, 25,000 Canadians hear the words, 'you have dementia.' But dementia is more than just numbers. Friends, families and members of our communities all experience the personal and social impact of dementia. For our health-care system and economy this means higher demand for services and soaring costs. It's not just their disease. It's ours too.

"That's why the Alzheimer Society of Grey-Bruce is pleased to join Alzheimer Societies across Canada in asking Canadians to be #InItForAlz and support the programs and services that are offered to affected individuals, their families and their caregivers," Barker said

Through this campaign, the Alzheimer Society also hopes to change the conversation about a disease that continues to be shrouded in silence.

Dementia doesn't discriminate and can affect anyone. It's one of the fastest-growing diseases of our time, but still has no cure or effective treatments. It can only be beat if everyone takes action.

The gratitude expressed by our clients is a reflection of the profound effect that providing hope, support and relief has for them.

The difficult news is that the number of people affected is growing at such a significant rate that it challenges our ability to keep up, Barker said. Over the last two years, our active client list increased 24% to more than 1,100 people, and our education and training services increased 36% to 2,600 persons.

"Last year we participated in a yearlong study funded through the Ontario Brain Institute. The results were significant," Barker said. "Our clients reported we helped them increase their understanding of dementia, increased their skills and abilities to cope, assisted them in times of need and helped them access other resources in the community.

"We need to continue to raise awareness and understanding to alleviate the stigma of the disease," she said. "And we need to encourage those affected to seek early diagnosis and support in order to maintain the highest quality of life possible through the course of the disease."

Darren Dreger, a Hockey Insider at TSN, is getting behind #InItForAlz. His 76-year-old step father, Ervin, who lives in Saskatchewan, was recently diagnosed with dementia.

"This is a cause that's close to my heart and I'm proud to lend my support to the campaign," he said.

"We need to get over our uneasiness about dementia and start to recognize and talk about it more openly."

You, too, can be #InItForAlz and make a difference right from your computer. Visit our website www.alzheimer.ca/greybruce to lear more and to see the video about Darren and his family, and read the personal stories of other Canadians impacted by dementia. You can also use the hashtag #InItForAlz to spread the word that "it's not just their disease. It's ours too."

source: media release, Alzheimer Society of Grey-Bruce